Scenes From the Road: Southern Italy Week 2

Authentic food, small town ambiance and off-the-beaten-path discoveries best describe this week’s photo essay from our visit to Italy’s heel. During southern Italy Week 2, Alan and I experienced slow travel at its best. Enjoy our photos as a teaser for articles to come:

Touring Trani put a big smile on our faces.

We couldn’t stop smiling in Trani. Beautiful weather added to a fun weekend of exploring the vibrant harbor area with monuments, restaurants and shopping. A local crowd filled the streets on Saturday and Sunday nights making for great people watching. Italians really know how to dress!

Castle del Monte was built by the numbers

Numerology and symbolism played a big part in the construction of Castle Del Monte. Built in the 1200’s, historians are still guessing at Emperor Frederick II’s intentions for the castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Homemade pasta in Locorotondo

Locorotondo is a pretty little town with well-kept white buildings where colorful pots of flowers trail from balconies and front porch stoops. But it’s this dish of homemade pasta that will forever remind us of our visit.

A row of Trulli houses in Alberobello

The stone roofs of the Trulli houses are a unique site in the Alberobello region of Puglia, Italy. We spent the night in one and will be telling you all about it.

The beautiful aqua-colored water of a beach in Gallipoli

Want to see more details about our incredible trip through Southern Italy? Check out our entire Italian Heel experience day by day!

We couldn’t believe the aqua-colored water on this beach in Gallipoli. On a late October weekend, swimmers and sunbathers enjoyed one last holiday on the Ionian Coast during unusually warm weather.

The Sassi settlement in Matera is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In Matera, residents once lived in caves built into two valleys. Some still do. We had a fun day exploring the area that is said to resemble Jerusalem. This is also the site where Mel Gibson filmed the movie, The Passion of Christ.

Although our 12-day visit to Italy’s heel ended with Matera, we’re not done yet. Alan and I have boarded Silver Spirit for a cruise from Rome to Ft. Lauderdale and will be posting a weekly photo essay as we sail our way across the Atlantic. Stay tuned!